Camille Williams-Taylor
Director of Education & Secretary to the Board
On behalf of Durham District School Board’s (DDSB) staff and senior leadership team, I am proud to present our 2025 Annual Report to trustees, families, staff, and community.
We have seen some significant change within our senior leadership team in 2025, bidding a grateful farewell to Superintendents Georgette Davis, Margaret Lazarus, and Associate Director David Wright. Joining our senior team in 2025 were Lauren Bliss and Jackie Leacock, with a new Associate Director to be announced soon.
I want to express my sincere appreciation for both our outgoing and recently joined senior team members, who have spent their tenure at the DDSB laying foundational groundwork, and implementing innovative and transformational changes to ensure that the DDSB is responsive, inclusive, and future-ready.
Speaking of future-ready, 2025 saw two new schools – Josiah Henson (Pickering) and Trillium Woods (Ajax) Public Schools – open in September, and four new schools in active planning and construction phases – North Oshawa Secondary School, North Oshawa Public School, and two West Whitby Public Schools (all to be named in 2026). These projects will provide modern learning spaces for our fastest-growing communities.
Throughout our second year of Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) implementation, we continue to focus on our mission to get every student across their stage. What does that mean to us? It means every student we welcome into our classrooms and learning centres are supported by wrap around guidance and care to reach their full potential – whatever that looks like for them.
An initiative we are particularly proud of this year is the CTRL+ALT+Educate event held in November for families during a regularly scheduled PA Day, sharing insights and learnings with families about generative artificial intelligence while students engaged in activities that sparked creativity and encouraged exploration.
I invite you to read more about some of the stories of implementation and their impact in 2025.
Camille Williams-Taylor
Director of Education
